1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an abrasive article (e.g., sheet or belt) having a plurality of ridges of abrasive material deployed on a surface thereof so as not to be aligned with its machine direction and to methods for making the same.
2. Background Art
In general abrasive articles comprise a plurality of abrasive particles bonded either together (e.g., a bonded abrasive or grinding wheel) or to a backing (e.g., a coated abrasive). These abrasive articles have been utilized to abrade and finish workpieces for well over a hundred years.
One problem that has always plagued the abrasive industry is the generally inverse relationship associated between the cut rate (i.e., the amount of workpiece removed for a given time interval) and the useful life of the abrasive article. What is desired by the industry is an abrasive article that has a relatively high rate of cut, a long usable life, and which imparts a relatively fine, and smooth, surface finish on the workpiece being abraded.
One solution to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,917 (Pieper et al.). Pieper al. teaches a structured abrasive that results in a relatively high rate of cut with long abrasive life. U.S. application 08/067,708 filed May 26, 1993 (Mucci et al.) teaches a method of imparting a fine finish on a workpiece by using a structured abrasive and oscillating either the workpiece or abrasive during use, such that the resulting scratch pattern crosses the previous scratch pattern, resulting in a finer finish.
There exists a vast array of different abrading applications. While Pieper et al. and Mucci et al. represent advancements in the abrasive field for many abrading applications, there remains room for improvement even above and beyond Pieper et al. and Mucci et al.